


The Replacement

by chimpsky



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Cute, Episode: s03e22 Quagmire, F/M, Fluff, post episode: quagmire, puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 15:53:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6382909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimpsky/pseuds/chimpsky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mulder gets Scully a replacement dog after Queequeg; post ep: Quagmire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Replacement

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a post on tumblr from @mulaney'sbutt. The dog in question is: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/06/4d/f5/064df5c49cbc9ef3dd280436700f55aa.jpg 
> 
> I'm not a very strong writer, but I couldn't resist.

The knocking on her door sounded a lot different than usual. She assumed it was Mulder – who else would be showing up at her place unannounced – but his usual few loose knocks were absent this evening. It sounded instead like he was banging his foot against the bottom of the heavy wood.

“Use your key!” she shouted from the couch. 

She heard his muffled voice yelling at her from outside. Letting out a heavy sigh, she set her novel and cup of tea down on the coffee table. “I’m coming, I’m coming…” 

She lifted the deadbolt and swung the door open and there was Mulder – one arm placed around a large brown box, clinging it to his hip, while his other hand clutched a cream dog bed. She could see the red leash wrapped around his wrist. Her eyes travelled down the sharp line of the rope until it reached a small blotch of light, sandy fur. 

“Mulder…what is this?”

“What do you mean, Scully? It’s a dog!”

Scully kept her eyes fixed on the animal. Its tongue was out and it was smiling and panting up at her. It barked a short hello. “I can see that, Mulder. Why is it here?”

“I’m dropping him off,” he said as he pushed past her into her apartment. “I come bearing gifts, too. A bed, kibble, treats, three different types of squeaky toys…I wasn’t sure what you had left over.” He craned his neck back towards her. “You should close the door. I don’t want him to run off.”

Without thinking, she obliged. The door clicked shut and Mulder shook the leash from his wrist. Instantly, the dog ran up to Scully and stood on his hind legs, pawing at her calves. She couldn’t help it – he was too damn cute. She let him sniff her hands before scooping him up and was met with dozens of sloppy kisses under her chin. “Oh, hello.” 

Mulder smiled at her from the kitchen as he set his box down on the counter. The sight of her laughing as she tried to keep the dog’s kisses away from her face was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. She was fifty times more adorable than the dog itself, at least to him anyways. He walked back over to her and unclipped the pup’s leash from his collar. “There you go, buddy. Much better,” he said as he scratched behind the dog’s ear. 

The dog sat contently in Scully’s arms as they both continued to pet him. Finally, she spoke up. “Mulder, you still haven’t explained the dog.” 

“Hmmm?” he said, either too distracted by the puppy’s soft ears to hear her, or too unwilling to explain his motives behind bringing a pet and supplies into her apartment on a Saturday afternoon. 

“The dog, Mulder.” She set him down gently on the wood floor and crossed her now free arms across her chest. “Why is he here?”

“I got him for you!” he replied, all the while watching the dog sniff away at the curious items in her living room.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you get me a dog?” she sighed.

“I thought you liked dogs.”

He looked up at her then and saw the peeved look in her eyes. Clearly, the fun was over. She wanted real answers now. “Mulder,” she said sternly. 

“Well, you seemed so sad after what happened to Queequeg and I have to admit I feel partially responsible for your dog’s demise. So I thought I’d get you a new one. To say sorry.” A blush crept over his face and he quickly turned his attention back towards the puppy, who was currently closely examining some crumbs underneath the coffee table. “I know he can’t replace Queequeg but he needed a good home and I thought you two would get along. He’s very well behaved. I picked him up at a shelter in Virginia. I – I don’t think they accept returns but if you’re not willing to keep him I can figure something out. I can’t keep anything larger than fish at my place but I’ll…” 

Scully placed a hand on his forearm and he quieted. “It’s alright, Mulder. I’m not upset. Thank you. This was very sweet of you.”

He looked up at her with pure joy in his eyes. Like she had just told him she had finally come around and believed in aliens and bigfoot and even Nessie herself. “So, you’ll keep him?”

“Yes, Mulder; I’ll keep him. He is awfully cute.”

“His name at the shelter was Buster, but I think you can change it to anything you want.”

“I’m certainly not calling my dog Buster”.

“No,” he laughed. “I didn’t think you would.”

She knelt down and called over to the dog, who happily padded back to her. Picking him up once again, she ruffled his ears. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” He barked softly in approval of her praise. “I’m going to call you Pip!” He barked excitedly once more.

“Pip? Don’t tell me…Moby Dick?”

“A boy on Pequod’s crew.”

“You’re really going to name your dog after another Moby Dick character?”

She shrugged. “It’s sort of like a tradition now, in a way. Besides,” she said, holding the pup up so that he was face to face with Mulder, “Pip is a cute name and this dog is most definitely cute.” 

Pip took the moment to lick Mulder’s nose. The laugh Scully let out was so genuine, Mulder found his heart racing. He hadn’t heard her laugh like that in so long. “Definitely cute,” he mumbled. 

“Did they say how old he is?”

“Hmm?” He was preoccupied by the calm look in her eyes as she looked down at Pip. 

“He can’t be more than five months.”

“Oh…yeah. The people at the shelter guessed around three months. Someone found him abandoned outside a restaurant dumpster.” 

“Poor little guy. Who could do such a thing?”

Mulder stroked Pip’s fur, lazily knocking into Scully’s hand that held the dog against her chest. He stroked his thumb over her knuckles, then returned to Pip, then back to her smooth skin. “I’m glad he has you now.” 

It occurred to her he might not just be referring to the dog. She gazed up at him through long lashes and gently placed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for giving him to me,” she whispered against his jaw. Pip squirmed between them, but Mulder paid no attention to it, suddenly overcome with the raw need to kiss her. 

His lips found hers easily, like they had always been meant to be there. It was light and sweet and seemed to say “I’d give you many more gifts if you would let me”. She would, she thought. 

Pip’s barking tore Mulder’s lips away. “Shhh!” he told him. “I was here first!”

“I think you’ll both have to learn to share,” Scully giggled. 

He looked pointedly at the dog. “Don’t make me regret getting you.”

Pip barked again and licked Mulder square on the mouth. 

“Maybe I’m the one who needs to be worried about sharing.” She reached her hand up to ruffle Mulder’s hair until it was sticking up in every which way. “Two puppies,” she said smiling.

“Hey! At least I come house trained. In fact, I’m easily trainable.”

“Really? After three years of knowing you, I wouldn’t have drawn that conclusion.” 

Mulder pouted, and with his bottom lip now even more pronounced, Scully definitely thought his resemblance to a puppy was practically uncanny. 

“Oh, alright,” she said. “I suppose I’ll keep you, too.”

Pip gave his approval in two barks and six kisses between the two of them. Mulder grinned from ear to ear.

She set Pip on the floor, filled his water dish, and passed him a couple treats and one of the squeaky toys Mulder had purchased. “That should keep him occupied for awhile,” she said, grabbing Mulder by the hand and turning them both towards her bedroom. “Come on. Let’s go see just how easily trainable you really are.”


End file.
